Let me make one thing perfectly clear before I get started — I have been afraid of getting attacked by a shark since I moved to Hawaii half a decade ago. What I knew about these ocean predators was what I've seen on television shows and movies, which could be summed up in a single word — terrifying. In an effort to abolish the fear I had, I did a popular cage dive here in Hawaii a few years ago. It had a surprising impact on me. I found that after doing it, I wanted to learn and experience more.

Life happened and I got busy, but at the start of 2018 I made a vow to cross off a big bucket list item — to free dive with sharks naturally — no cage, no chum, just me and them. So, when I traveled to Tahiti a few weeks ago and had the opportunity to do just that three miles off the coast of Moorea with a marine biologist, I jumped at the opportunity and into the water.

Here's what I learned from the harrowing experience and what you should know before you give it a try.

Most of what I knew about sharks is false.

They're portrayed as monsters.
Kait Hanson

I boarded the Moorea Ocean Adventures boat with marine biologist Matthieu Petit and my first question was "So, are these guys going to eat me for lunch?" He laughed a little bit, but not because it's funny but because he's completely exhausted with trying to dispel the media portrayal of sharks.

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"I wish people knew real facts, not the picture of the monster eating humans for breakfast spread by movies and some media or the hysteria following each (very rare) accident that involves sharks." The International Shark Attack File reported that in 2017 there were only 5 fatal shark attacks worldwide.

Sharks are disappearing at an alarming speed.

There is one shark killed every three seconds in the world. "It's one of the biggest issues in the ocean right now," explained Petit. "Sharks are maybe the most important key species living in the oceans and making them disappear could have unknown, but very strong consequences, on a global level." This infographic is beyond eye-opening.

Sharks are not vicious.

They maintain the health of the ecosystem.
Kait Hanson

I wanted to know why sharks get this bad-guy rap in movies and television shows if they're truly mis-characterized.

"Vicious is a word describing some human behaviors more than animal behaviors, but they are opportunistic," explained Petit. "This is why they have such an important role in the ecosystem. By targeting the weak, sick or injured animals, especially fish, they contribute to the good health of the fish populations and the whole ecosystem [no propagation of the diseases, favoring natural selection,etc]."

Sharks don't want to eat humans.

This is probably the most important fact and I cannot emphasize it enough. Let's take a look at why: Like I learned above, sharks are opportunistic and curious, so they are always exploring their environment, but humans are big. Only a few species [of sharks] are big enough to even consider humans potential prey. "99% of the times they meet a human, they have absolutely no interest in him," said Petit. "There is a particular thing we've noticed — the bigger the shark is, the more shy it is. It is very easy to attract small reef sharks close to the boat and humans, but to attract a big shark, you have to be patient as they escape the boats and the swimmers most of the time."

It's true — sharks are attracted to blood.

They use smell to target animals in their food chain.
Kait Hanson

But not yours! Let me say it again for the people in the back — sharks do not want to eat humans. Their intention is to prey on animals that are in their natural food chain and, of course, one of the senses they use to do this is smell. "Their senses are incredibly developed," said Petit. But if it's blood you are worried about, perhaps you should turn your attention to what noises you are making. "Sharks rely on their sharpened sense of hearing to detect the sounds of an injured fish from very far away." This sound can be easily replicated by crackling a water bottle beneath the surface of the water, a tactic biologists use to study sharks in different waters and was demonstrated to me by the team. We were able to spot a lone lemon shark this way, which was incredible.

You can look them in the eye.

Sometimes I wonder if I watch too much "Shark Week" on the Discovery Channel, because in my head I just kept repeating "whatever you do, don't make eye contact." In reality, this is next to impossible when they're circling you in the water and to be honest — their eyes look really cool. I asked about it when we surfaced and there's really no reason you can't look them in the eye "Why wouldn't you? In fact, you did it many times and nothing happened, except cohabitation between a human and shark with no aggression on either side."

Swimming at dawn or dusk still isn't a great idea.

You don't want to meet a bull shark, a tiger sharks, or a great white shark.
Kait Hanson

For as long as I can remember, I've heard not to swim at dawn or dusk, since that's when sharks are feeding. Because sharks are opportunistic, you're not necessarily going to be attacked, but you'll be putting yourself in a questionable situation without the upper hand.

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"Sharks are opportunistic so they will try to have the advantage on their prey," explained Petit. "The lack of visibility [at those times] is a very good advantage to them as they will sense your presence a long time before you do. That said, this is a warning particularly for bull sharks, tiger and great whites. 95% of the sharks species don't care about humans and the time of the day you swim in the ocean."

The shark anatomy is fascinating.

Through the barrage of questions I threw at the team, I learned an incredible amount about the anatomy of sharks, including a cool fact about the reproduction of gray reef sharks.

"Most species of sharks are not suited to breathe correctly if they stop swimming," said Petit. "So during reproduction, gray reef sharks gather in the channels. While they stop to mate, the strong currents continue to bring oxygen into their gills."

You're braver than you think you are.

Facing fears.
Kait Hanson

Swimming with sharks sounds thrilling and exhilarating in theory, but then when it comes down to it and you see those apex predators circling the water you're about to jump into, your stomach just might drop to your knees. Nevertheless, I found myself easing right off the side of our boat and slipping into their world seamlessly given my newfound shark knowledge and comfort level.

One day, sharks might be gone.

Because these graceful, curious creatures are killed so rapidly for sport, fins and more — their population is fragile. If you share the same interest I did in sharks, or desperately want to overcome a misplaced fear, I cannot encourage you enough to forget what you think you know about them and go meet them in the wild with the help of someone who knows what they are doing before they disappear.

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